Cooking utensil



April 9, 1935. F. BETTERIDGE EI'AL 1,997,509

COOKING UTENSIL Filed Sept. 1, 1932- 4/ [Zef/Eride IvraRS Patented Apr. 9, 1935 d UN STATES PATENTOFFICE d 1 cooKmG UTENSIL Frances Betteridge and Harold'Betteridge, Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia A plication September 1,1932, S erialNo. 631,414 I p In Australia October 1, 1931 d Claims.

This invention relates to saucepans and like vessels, more particularly to combined lid and strainerdevices of the known type wherein the lid is provided near its periphery and at oneside with'a sector or fan adapted to be covered plate or like member lid, whereby the liquid be readily and conveniently poured off or strained ifrom the solids therein without moving the lid.

p It hashitherto beenproposed to pivot such. a cover plate to the central portion of a lid and to provide the cover plate witha handle for turning it into perforation 5 and'uncovered at will by a maybe locked in position on the vessel by pin and slot means operable by partialrotation of, the lid. .According to another proposal the lid is locked in position by the posed beneath the j jlid and projecting through slots in adepending flange of the lid and adapted to extend beneath an inturned rim at the upper edge of the vessel, whereby the lid isflirst locked in"position by the lips. during initial turning of the cover plate, contin- 25 ued turning tions,

The present invention provides a. device of the lidis locked to the of whichexposes the. lid perforat kind indicated in which the vessel by pin and slot or like means operable by partial rotationof the lid and in which suchpartial rotation of. the lid, eitherto lock it or to unlock it, is efiected by the cover plate co-operating with stops on the lid which limit the movement of the cover plate in relation tothe lid.

35 l The invention consists primarily in a combina tion and arrangement of parts comprising a lid having a perforated zone-means for lockingthe lid to a vessel by partial rotation of the lid thereon, a cover plate pivoted-to the lid and pro-. a handle, and stops on the lid located like group of perforations movably mountedto the contents of the vessel may.

covering and exposingpo'si tions. According to one such. proposalthe lid cover plate which is dis-, 11d

iurnished with lips being sofarranged that the handlenecessary to 7 .upon the lid wnerfiby thenlate; maybeeasily re,

ovecl for cleaning purposes and as readily replaced. p j The above and other objects and features of the invention and the advantages arising therefromwill, however, be more readily apparent from the following description aided by theac companyingdrawing, in which a d Figure 1 is a vertical section of a saucepan with combined lid and strainer according to the invention. A a

Figure 2 isa plan of Figure 1 showing the cover plate in a position to permit pouring off or straining oi the liquid contents.

. Figure 3 is an enlarged section taken on line IIIIII of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is. anenlargedsection taken on line lZV IV of Figure 2 showing means for detachably and pivotally retaining the cover plate to. the

Figure 5 is a plan of Figure 4. 1 g Figure 6 is a perspective view with the cover plate in a position to' permit pouring off or straina ing of the liquidcontents.

The invention includesa lid 2 provided with a seriesor groupof perforations 3 which preferably extends inwardl'y from the outer periph- 2 eral portion of the lid towards the centre thereof so as to providea p rfor ated zone or portion 3a of somewhat segmental shape. The lid has, at its outer periphery, arounded or downturned. edge portion 4 which is preferably of considerable depth and through which oneflor more circumferential rows or; the perforations 3 are formed in order to ensure .efiicient pouring off ofthelliquidcontents of the saucepan 6. The downturned edge portionmay merge into an outwardly expressed circumferential head 1 whi h rests upon the upper edge of thesaucepan when I I the lid is operatively applied;

A circumferential lip d depending from the g bead 1 may be providedwith diametrically op posite circumferentially extendingjj'slots 9" of bayonet formation, each slot beingopen atthe bottom and having at its top -a comparatively" narrow circumierentially extendingportion. 9a, I r the: lower edgeof which is defined by a tongue- I like portion II at thelower edgeof thelid 8. p

The upstanding wall l2 of the saucepan is provided with diametrically opposite inward projections which maybe constituted by pins or rivets: l3 or, if desired, by localized inward ex-.

'pressions of the wall 12. Theslots 9,811 and projections I3 enable thelid tobedetachably but securely appliedto the saucepan as will be readily understood.

The slots 9, 9a are so located in relation to the group of perforations 3 that when the lid is operatively applied to the saucepan the group of perforations extends at substantially right angles to the lengthof the vessel handle it when viewed in plan and preferably at the left hand side thereof as in Figures 2 and 6.

It willi be= evident: from the. foregoing that the liquid may be readily and conveniently poured off through the perforations 3 without fouling the handle ill. I I

The cover plate It mayadvantageously. beef substantially segmental or V shape and'of' thin sheetmetal, the outer edge-qpcrtiom l lmbeing;- curved or downturned complementarypto. the-1 rounded shoulder or circumferential portion, 4

of the lid so that all of the perforations. 3" will,

be closed when the cover plate is in it's normal position, as indicated by broken lines inZFigure12.

Means for retaining the-cover plate to the lid so that it may, when'desired, be turned to uncover theperforations 3 mayjinclude a pivot. pin

.or rivet i Supstandingfrom the centre of the lid.

- also serve to connect the cover plate to thelid so that the, latter may be. partially rotated upon the'ves's'el. by the. handle. [8 in order to lock the lid to the vess'elby the pin and slot means 9, l3.

, The parts are so arranged that. a single turning movement of. the handle it. in one. direction causes. thecover. plate to be first moved into a perforation exposing position iniwhich it engages one of vthe. stops l9 andthe lid, as .well as the cover plate, then turned" in relation to the vessel 3 until thepins l3 are properly home'in their slots 9. asinEigurel.

Unlocking. of. the lid from the vessel; can only be. effectedby reversing the. direction of rotation of the handle it. and continuing. such turning after the cover plate, has been arrested in its perforation closing position by the other stop it. It follows fr'omthis construction and ar rangementfthat"straining. through the exposed perforations can only take place with the lid" in a. locked. positiQhQThe possibility of the user being. scalded or accidents occurring due to the lidj falling off during straining operations is thus I avoided. Of'coursa thecover' plate can be freely moved 'at all. times "between the two stops it without unlocking the lid. from the vessel.

; Topr'event the stops iflor the side edges: of the plate from being indented by repeated" engagement of' the plate with the stops, the latter may have flat contact faces 19a; to provide a relativelywide area of contact, insteadof point contact, with theside edges of the plate. (Jr the stops I may beof circular cross section and the side edges of the a plate provided with" complementary curved recesses. r distance piece 2:!" maybe interposed between the top' of the lidand the bottom of the'cover plate in order' to prevent friction between said parts and scratching or scoring. of the uppersurface of the li'd by the turning movements of the cover plate. T

To provide for quick and easy detachment of the cover plate to permit of cleaning same and the lid, a locking member 22 such as a turn piece or strip may be rotatable about the pivot pin I5 and rest diametrically upon washer l6 and project beyond same at each end. The head 15a of the pin prevents upward movementof-j the locking strip 22; which; may have upturned portions pr finger pieces-23 at-its ends whereby it may be turned about the pin l5 to thereby bring the projecting end portions of the strip. into alignment with sideward extensions 11a of the hole 51 in the cover plate.

. When the. locking strip; 22? is in its normal position, as in; Figure ,4; it retains the cover plate to the .116. but by turning the strip 22 so that it is aligned with the holes ll, I'Ia the cover plate is freed from the locking strip and may be eas' ilylifted off the lid. v

I Inorderto prevent inadvertentturningof. the locking: strip: 22' from its normal or looking. posi tion during the'turningof; the cover plate [4, the locking. strip may be of" somewhat spring bowed form, the ends thereof having detents z l which bear. downwardly into depressions .2 6 formed the upper' surface of the cover plate asinFigures 4 and 5.

- Whilst the inventionis shown intheaccompanying drawingsapplied to a'. saucepan, it will i be evident. that. it may be advantageously appliedto a variety of vessels such as billy, cans and other cooking and. like utensils.- I

Having now described our invention what; we

claim as new and. desire to. secure by Letters n Patent iss- 1. An improved combined lid andfstrainer device. for saucepans andllike vessels, comprising in combination. a lidfhaving. a. perforate'dzone, meansfjor locking the lid to a vesselfby. partial rotation of. the lidlthereon, an imperforate cover platei pivoted. to the lid and...provided witha handle, and stopson the .lidlocated. one. at each side off the, perforated zone, said stops limiting the turning movements of the. cover. plate in re.-

lationto the lid and. enabling the latter and the cover plate'to betturned in unison by said handle,-the. partsbeing so arranged thatthe lid is locked to the .vessel. by ac.ontinuation. of the turningmovement of the handle necessary to bring. the cover plate into its. fully open. position fand is unlocked by acontinuation of the turning. movement. of. the: handle. necessary to bring the cover plate into itsfully closed position. a

2. Ina device of'the character. described, in combination, a lid having-:a perforated zone; a

cover plate for removably covering; the zone and means. for detachably pivoting the-plate to the lid including a pivot pin projecting upwardly from the lid and passing througha holein the plate, and a locking strip free to turn about the pivot .pin above the cover plate whichis provided with. sideward extensions of said holeof a size sufficient to enable the locking piece to pass therethrougli. g a

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a lid having. a perforated. zone, a cover plate for removably. covering the zone .and means for 'detachably pivoting the plate to the lid including a pivot pin 'pro jectingupwardly from the lid and pa sing through a hole inthe plate, and a locking strip free to turn aboutthe pivot pin above the cover plate. which isprovided with sideward extensions of said hole of a. size suflicient-toenable the locking piece to pass therethrough, said strip being of a springy nature andis adapted to bear downwardly upon the upper surface of the cover plate.

from the lid and passing throughla hole inthe' plate, and a locking strip freeto turn about the pivot pin above the cover plate which is pro- Vided with sideward extensions vof said hole of a size sufficient to enable the locking piece to pass therethrough, said strip being provided at its ends with detents adapted to enter depressions formed in said cover plate when the looking strip is in its normal position.- r

5. An improved combined lid and strainer device for saucepans and likevessels, comprising in combination, a lid having a perforated zone,

means for locking the lid to a vessel by partial rotation of the lid thereon, a cover plate pivoted to the lid and provided with a handle, and

stops on the lid located one at each side of the perforated zone, one of the stops being disposed adjacent one side of the perforated zoneand the other stop being disposed comparatively remote from the other sideof the perforated zone, said} stops limiting the turning movements of the cover platein relation to the lid and forming a me-- chanical connection between the cover plate and the lid so that they lid maybe turned in relation to the vesselby said hand1e,whereby the lid can be locked to the vessel only by a continuation of the turningmovement of the handle necessary to bring the cover plate into an open position, and can be unlocked only by a continua-1 tion of the turning movement of the handle necessary to bring the cover plate into a' closed position. v

V FRANCES BETTERIDGE.

HAROLD BETTERIDGE. 

